Chewy English muffins

[Mary Todd]

Anybody know how to make chewy muffins instead of the bready ones I always get? Mine are good and have some nooks and crannies, but still much to bready for a true English muffin.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Anybody know how to make chewy muffins instead of the bready ones I always get? Mine are good and have some nooks and crannies, but still much to bready for a true English muffin.

Chewy bite is achieved from the following:
1. Higher protein flour. Use a flour with a min of 11% protein. So a bread flour of King Arthur all purpose.

2. Higher hydration. Increasing the actual amount of liquid can be tricky. So it’s simpler to let the flour fully hydrate. Mix to just incorporate all the ingredients, then place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Since it’s a long fermentation, it’s important to not develop the dough much in mixing.

An overnight fermentation will produce a lot of nooks and crannies, develop flavor, and give a better bite.

Look up English Muffin recipes from Bon Appetit, Serious Eats, and PJ Hamel’s blog on King Arthur Flour site.

All three recipes vary. But they are good reference sources. Serious Eats and Bon Appétit both do an overnight rest. So that will give you an idea on how to mix the dough and the amount of yeast to use for overnight fermentation

PJ Hamel does not do overnight fermentation, but she gives good explanations on the whole process.

 

[Mary Todd]

Thank you so much!